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Rep. Warren Petersen has crafted legislation that will have a chilling effect on public officials who illegally waste money and then walk away with lucrative benefits or severence pay. It's HB2115 Simple, straightforward, brief. (This bill is scheduled to be heard Jan. 28 at 9:00 am in the Government and Higher Education Committee. See ACTION at the end of this article.)

Should a public official who is caught and terminated for fraudulently, lavishly spending taxpayer dollars on meals, travel, hotels, entertaining, etc., go on to receive lucrative payouts, annuities, pensions, and other benefits?

Rep. Warren Petersen doesn't think so, and neither do the many other sponsors and co-sponsors of this excellent bill. HB2115 spells out that anyone who is found guilty would forfeit any future benefits. While there already are laws on the books against fraud and misappropriation of public funds, these cases don’t always get pursued as the official is fired or even allowed to quit.

HB2115 ensures that these public officials forfeit any future benefits. States Petersen: “All too often, those who are caught and terminated leave with lavish payouts, annuities, pensions and other benefits. Termination from a high position in government office should not be like winning the Lotto. Rewarding someone for bad behavior can only encourage more of the same.” See Petersen Seeks to Prevent Lavish Payouts to Errant Public Officials.Two cases come to mind:

Arizona Republican Representative Warren Petersen (LD12) got an excellent bill signed by Governor Brewer. This bill will help employers who are victimized by fraudulantly filed unemployment claims. See how the malpracticing media (aka Leftist propagandists) cut out nearly everything Warren said. See who they interviewed and how they managed once again to demonize Republicans.

Here's the real story.

1. Over the last few years Arizona has given out over $434 million at the expense of the taxpayer in erroneous benefits (of which $1.1 million went to prisoners). 2. Business owners testified they are expanding in other states instead of Arizona because they constantly have to go to hearings to overturn false claims. 3. Arizona is ranked 46th in the nation in paying out correct claims (in other words they are 4th in paying out false claims). 4. Several business owners (especially restaurants) have employees that immediately quit to take unemployment instead of working.

Rep. Petersen took this reform on to address our system which has been rife with fraud and abuse. His hope is in two years we will become one of the top states in the proper payment of claims.